The Controversial Reason Why California Neighbors Are Suing a Boy with Autism

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The Controversial Reason Why California Neighbors Are Suing a Boy with Autism

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A neighborhood in Sunnyvale, CA, is has filed a lawsuit against an autistic boy in order to declare him a public nuisance to the community. From their accounts, the 11-year-old is not to blame. Instead, the parents are the one at fault because they "didn't do enough to control their son and prevent him from hurting other young children in the neighborhood," according to ABC News.

"[Children in the neighborhood] have been slapped, hit, kicked, basically terrorized," Bindu Pothen, one of the plaintiffs, told the news site.

Another terrifying account of the autistic child's bullying comes from Robert Flowers, who is also is a plaintiff. He said, "My son, on his 4th birthday, was riding his bike, and the child threw him to the ground, grabbed with both hands his hair and shook him violently."

The safety of their children isn't the neighbors' only concern either. They're also worried that their property values will decrease because of the "violent" child.

"When there is unchecked violence in a neighborhood," neighbor Kumaran Santhanam said, "it's something that we have to disclose when we sell or rent our home."

As for how factual these claims are, police reports haven't been released yet to support them. And the family in question feels attacked.

"We are…very disappointed by the non-factual and deeply manipulative falsehoods that have been spread…which we feel amounts to a modern-day witch-hunt against a small disabled child and his family," they said in a statement to ABC News.

The autistic boy being sued is currently not living in the home, which worries autism advocates around the country. They're concerned that this lawsuit could set a precedent for families who have autistic children.

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"I would hope that the court doesn't rule against the family because that just creates another barrier," said Ronald Hampton, the president of the District of Columbia Autism Society. "That is not the solution."

Meanwhile, the neighbors aren't backing down. They say they sued the boy and his family as a "last resort" and that the parents never apologized for their son's malicious attacks. They are also "suing for damages for alleged past abuse and assurances that the boy will be better supervised in the future in an attempt to keep other children safe," according to ABC News.

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